Unknown to many people, there are actually 4 ski mountains linked together to the name of Aspen and all of the four ski areas are further linked together on the same lift ticket.

The Roaring Fork Valley, another ski resort in Aspen is technically the most challenging ski area in Colorado Aspen, followed by the Buttermilk, which is often billed as the best beginner ski mountain in the Rocky Mountains.

Then there is the massive Snowmass, a ski area which is bigger than the other 3 resorts put together. Any wonder why this ski area is called Snowmass?

The Snowmass prides itself on its extensive intermediate skiing terrain and have plenty of extreme slopes too for the more adventurous and advanced skiers.

The ski trails and 'dump' runs in Ajax have queer sounding names like Bear Paw, Zaugg Dump, Last Dollar, Perry's Prowl and Short Snort. All these dump runs are fairly short, sharp and challenging descents are built on the steep mountain slopes where gold miners of old once tunneled their way into the mountain in search of the precious metal.

Novice skiers are discouraged from skiing Ajax not so much so because of the challenging terrain but because getting off the mountain at the end of the day can be a very intimidating experience.

Most of the skiing is done at the top of the mountain but the main ski slopes such as the Cooper Bowl and Spar Gulch tend to be somewhat fast and furious in which intermediates and expert skiers in Aspen Colorado plunge their way down in dizzying speed.

Unless the novice skiers travel back down on the Silver Queen gondola, they will be forced into the very narrow and steep gullies to plummet like a heat seeking missile. This can be a very terrifying experience for someone new to winter snow skiing. The gentler ski area at the Buttermilk will be a better choice for novice skiers and beginners.

The Aspen Highlands is Aspen's real attraction. It is the only one of the four ski resorts in Aspen that is independently owned. The Highlands had developed a reputation for being the most challenging and yet the cheapest and least expensive resort in the Roaring Fork Valley.

While most skiers in Aspen will only ski at the Ajax Mountain, hard core skiers and speed demons will make their way to the ski lift system to take them to the breathtaking steep slopes of Aspen Highland's Olympic Bowl, Steeple Chase and Temerity, skiing exhilarating runs like Mushroom, Aces and Eights and Deception which starts steep and gets steeper along the way.

Have you tried winter skiing at Aspen Colorado? Why not give it a try in your next winter vacation?